Algeria is going to establish its embassy in Dhaka soon to further promote trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
“The process is going on. We'll set up our embassy here as soon as possible to improve trade and economic cooperation,” said Nadir Larbaoui, Algerian Ambassador to Bangladesh who is resident in Islamabad, in an interview with UNB at a city hotel yesterday.
The Ambassador said: “We're also going to renew all agreements in the fields of trade and commerce and planning to establish foreign office consultations.”
He said a 20-member business delegation from Bangladesh visited Algeria last year to promote bilateral trade and investment.
Larbaoui, who had meetings with Bangladeshi businesses and companies, said: “We're thinking to set up a council of Bangladeshi and Algerian businessmen.”
The present bilateral trade is insignificant and done through third country. Bangladeshi pharmaceutical products and medicines are mainly exported to Algeria.
Larbaoui said that although based in Pakistan, he always made a point of coming to Dhaka to share with brotherly people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the Independence Day and express good wishes on behalf of Algerian President M Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the Algerian people.
He said Algeria as a brotherly country is following with great interest political and economic developments in Bangladesh and praised the government efforts to promote democratic process and ensure stability, security and development of the country.
He also praised Bangladesh's role in UN peacekeeping missions especially in African continent to protect peace and stability in some areas.
The Ambassador said Algeria faced the challenge of terrorism with four major conditions -- it has national consensus against terrorism and extremism as Algerians are moderate and tolerant and know the real value of Islam. Secondly, Algeria has a strong constitution and democratic institutions, important civil society with special role played by women and consensus to reject any kind of foreign intervention.
He said Algeria's economic growth is now around 6.5 this year. “We've now started projects in infrastructure, agriculture, industry, etc. We've launched privatisation policy.”
On Bangladesh-Algeria relations, the envoy said the two countries have common history, values and roots in war for liberation.
He recalled the role played by former Algerian President Houari Boumediene to promote reconciliation between Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1974. President Boumediene came to Dhaka and took with him Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to attend the OIC summit held in Lahore.